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Gundula Rall
Gundula Rall is a veteran witch of the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing, originating from Karlsland, who behind Barkhorn and Hartmann, is Karlsland Airforce's (and, therefore humanity's) 3rd greatest ace. She achieved 250 kills before Hartmann and Barkhorn, but was later surpassed. Background An expert at Deflection Shooting, with a certain artistic flair for dogfighting; during the evacuation of Karlsland, however, she was injured by an unlucky shot when her field of view was blocked by a piece of Neuroi debris, resulting in a severely broken back. Although she was told that it will be impossible to fly again, after pouring her determination into extensive medical treatment with the help of a Viennese healing witch and nine months of rehabilitation she eventually returned to the front. During her hospitalization she was placed adjacent to the future Africa Corps commander Katou Keiko, with whom she gave a popular interview. To keep her old injuries from flaring up while dogfighting she wears a special corset made of magically woven fibers that reduce G force. It was made by the witch that healed her when she was at the hospital. Upon her return, the squadron participated in Operation Barbarossa and continued fighting in the direction of Petersburg, where she continued to sortie to not loose to other aces, rapidly increasing the number of kills. After the operation was abandoned, she was appointed commander of the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing, where she demonstrated excellent commanding skills when it was established. When in formation with the 502nd her favored tactic is for her to fly with the so-called "Crusher Trio" and leave the practical command decision-making to Flight Lieutenant Pokryshkin. This seems to be the best way to handle the diverse group of oddballs. Within the setting of the Strike Witches' world, she is one of the seven best witches in terms of kill count (the other six being Wilcke, Barkhorn, Schnaufer, Hartmann, Marseille and Rudel). Personality Strong and confident, Rall takes to her role as commander with relish, acting as more of a brash, frankly-spoken older sister than the more motherly nagging of Pokryshkin and nurturing of Shimohara. Unlike many in her position, however, she doesn't let herself get too serious, and is laid back and good-humored on a personal level. She has the courage to reassure her surroundings without forgetting to smile, no matter how severe the situation is. She has a sharp human eye. She quickly saw Marseille's talent despite being treated as a problem child and vouched for her to be taken more seriously as a pilot. She scouted Waltrud Krupinski, Kanno Naoe and Nikka Katajainen, the "Crusher Trio" to form the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing. Abilities Her inherent magic is called Deflection Shooting (偏差射撃, Hensa Shageki). It's the same as Marseille's skill. There's a possibility that it's a combination of three different magics - Future Sight, Three Dimensional Space Understanding and Magic Bullet - but there are no definite conclusions. This skill allows her to anticipate the target trajectory and shoot where it will go. Appearances Light Novels * Der Stern von Afrika (mentioned by Katou Keiko) Anime * Strike Witches Movie, unnamed cameo * Brave Witches Other *502nd Twitter Story Trivia * Her Ace Archetype is Günther Rall. Like Gundula, he was World War II's third highest-scoring ace, with 274 victory claims and one more unconfirmed claim. This number includes one French P-36, one US P-38, and 272 Soviet aircraft on the Eastern Front. * The Viennese healing witch who treated her is a reference to Hertha Schon, who the real life Rall later married. Gallery Gundula Rall Scan.jpg 502cameo.png Mini_Gundulla.jpg|Gundula in her early years. Iout.jpg Ral.jpg 502 Joint Fighter Wing.jpg 02k.jpg 502al.jpg Gundula Rall Scan 2.jpg GundulaNewScan 2.jpg 056 201703162105076eb.png 502nd_Anime TV Poster.jpg 502nd JFW.jpg 502nd - 02.jpg|502nd JFW - 02 Category:Strike Witch Category:Squadron Leaders Category:502nd Joint Fighter Wing Category:Karlsland